Govt to make one-year rural posting mandatory for medicos: Ramadoss

New Delhi, Nov 9 (UNI) Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Anbumani Ramadoss today said the government proposed to make a one-year rural posting mandatory for all doctors to become eligible certified medicos.

Speaking at the inauguration of the 51st Annual Conference of the Indian Orthopaedic Association(IOA), which was also attended by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Dr Ramadoss said trauma was an important component in orthopaedic work. ''The IOA should take a bigger initiative to train doctors in trauma care emergency preparedness, which is the need of the hour,'' he added.

The government proposed to set up trauma care centres at every 100 km on the National Highways in collaboration with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, he said.

''There would be a specialty centre every 300 km and super-specialty centre at every 500 km,'' he said and urged the IOA to take a keen interest in the project.

On medical tourism, Dr Ramadoss said patients from America, Australia and Europe have now started coming to India for treatment.

''I am very proud to say that Indian doctors are among the best in the World.'' However, the Minister added the cost of replacement therapy should be brought down to enable an average Indian to benefit from the treatment.

The Minister said in the field of sports medicine, a centre of excellence would be set up at the PGI, Chandigarh. The IOA should also pay more attention to lifestyle, postural problems arising out of the increased use of computers, he added.

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